


Gryffindors Just Wanna Have Fun

by AsphodelXWormwood



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Gen, Girl Power, also not that the bechdel test is a great measure of feminism in media, but yknow...gestures vaguely, i guess?, shout out to maggie the ta, so you know this is actually us and not just a rando fic we found
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28087587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsphodelXWormwood/pseuds/AsphodelXWormwood
Summary: Contrary to what you've heard, the Gryffindor girls /do/ talk to each other.A group assignment, in which we imagine what the girls talk about when Harry's not there to relay it back to us.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Book One: Hermione Granger and the New Roommates

**Author's Note:**

> Why need a beta when you have 5 brains?

“What’s your favorite Weird Sisters Song?” Lavender asked, flipping through the newest issue of Witch Weekly.

Hermione looked up from her books and noticed Lavender and Parvati were both staring at her. This is the most attention they’ve paid to her since they got to Hogwarts. 

When they first got to the dorm on their first night, Lavender and Parvati were already chattering away like they’d known each other their whole lives. So Hermione asked the obvious, “Did you two go to primary school together?”

Arm and arm they turned on their heels to face her and said simultaneously, “No,” and burst into giggles.

Parvati noticed Hermonie’s puzzled face.

“We met on the train.”

“But we’ve been exchanging owls since we got our letter this summer, my mum’s co-worker’s sister went to Hogwarts the same year as Parvati's Dad,” Lavender chimed in. 

This sealed in the chilliness Hermione felt. Lavender and Parvati went back to chatting away like old friends. 

Hemione flashed back to the present. 

“Umm … well ... Umm they’re not quite my speed,” she sputtered and hoped she successfully covered the fact that she had never heard of this band, “But I like the Smiths, have you heard of them?”

“Oh, is that a Muggle thing?” Parvati asked while rolling her eyes.

“Yeah.”

But they were not listening; they had gone back to giggling at a poster of a very blond man with perfectly coiffed hair and very white teeth. She still hadn’t gotten used to moving and talking posters and paintings. She made a mental note to see if the Hogwarts library has issues of Witch Weekly dating back to 1960. How could she have been so stupid by not researching wizarding pop culture? Pop culture was the key to any anthropological understanding of any culture. Reading all the back issues of Witch Weekly would be a consuming research endeavor, at least if she hid out in the library she couldn't be taunted by their giggling. 

The day she got her Hogwarts letter, she sat at her kitchen table glittering with excitement. She was a witch, all the kids who had laughed at her would be sorry- once she unleashed the raw power she had coursing through her veins. She was cool now; who wouldn’t want to be friends with a witch? Looking back at her previous belief, she scoffed. Even here, surrounded by people like her, she didn’t fit in.

\--

Hermione was having a good cry in the second-floor girls’ bathroom when the door opened with a loud creak. 

“For god sake’s Myrtle, please just leave me alone!”

She opened the toilet door in a rush to scream at Moaning Myrtle, but it was just Parvati.

This is the first time she had seen Parvati without Lavender. She had started to think they were attached at the hip. She wouldn’t put it past all the strangeness her life had taken on in the last months that Lavender and Parvati might have purposely stuck themselves together using the Sticking Charm they had learned in Charm’s class. That would take the friendship bracelets the girls in her primary school classes flaunted to a whole new level of obnoxious. _ A fantastic way to rub your friendship in everyone else's faces _ , Hermione thought to herself. 

After Flitwick’s Sticking Charm lesson, Lavender had raced back to their room and permanently stuck the poster of the blond man who Hermione had since learned was named Gilderoy Lockhart. She agreed that the man in question was very good looking. The three of them had taken turns trying to tear the post of the wall in progressively hilarious ways. For a while Hermione had felt like this might be the turning point. Maybe after that night, just maybe, Lavender and Parvati might start including her in their late-night giggling sessions and whispered discussions about boys.

With Parvati staring at her, she already flushed and the tear-stained face burned even brighter. 

“Is this about what Ron said? I heard him, you know.” She paused for a moment. “He’s just  _ sooo _ obnoxious sometimes.” 

Hermione nodded, but couldn’t manage to get any words out. 

“He’s just insecure, you didn’t grow up with magic, but you are obviously a very talented witch and he’s threatened by that. He’s a Pureblood, he has so much magic coursing through his veins, but he’s still a mediocre wizard.”

“Is it true that no one can stand me?”

Parvati pursed her lips, “Look... you can be a bit of a know-it-all at times. When I first met you I thought you were standoffish and that you thought you were better than everyone. But I was wrong. And Ron is wrong. Hopefully, he’ll realize it sooner rather than later. But I wouldn't forgive him if I were you. Can I give you a hug?”

Parvati wrapped her arms around Hermione and whispered. “We girls have to stick together.”

“Thank you,” Hermione whispered, “But I think I just want to be alone right now.”

“Are you sure you want to be left alone?” 

Hermione nodded.

“Well when you feel up to some company, come find me! We can try and bewitch the poster of Lockhart to say our names, and then we can go to the Halloween feast. I think dessert is going to be sweets from Honeydukes. I bet the Muggles don’t have anything that even compares to Honeydukes,'' Parvati exclaimed. 

“Have you ever had a Cadbury Creme Egg?” 

Parvati cut her off, but this time in a joking tone, “Another Muggle thing?” It was almost like they had their inside joke.

“You know it.”

“Well, I hope you decide to stop sulking in the bathroom with Myrtle. '' She made a face at Hermione. “You can’t let some dumb boy ruin your day if you want some human company comes to find me. I hope you do.” 

Parvati turned on her heel and walked towards the door, before looking back at Hermione with a smile. She left the room, and Hermione smiled to herself for the first time in hours.


	2. Book Two:  The Gilderoy Lockhart Fan Club

As the bell finished ringing, Lockhart noticed his class was now over, “That will be all class, keep practicing that disarming charm and I will see all of you very soon. Have a wonderful day.” The girls were fawning over his charming smile as he wished them a wonderful day. 

The girls met up in their dormitory after dinner like they did every week for their Lockhart Fan Club. Groups of girls walked in one after the other until the room was full. They began to discuss:

“Did you guys read the book?”

“Yes!” many of them answered in unison. 

“Lockhart is such a powerful wizard, he goes on all these adventures but yet he still acts so friendly with us! Unlike some of these other notable wizards, he pays attention to each one of us,” one girl said, addressing the way other wizard professors had made them feel.

“Yeah, like he doesn’t just pay attention to those of us that master things right away, he takes his time learning each one of our abilities.” Lockhart had gained a lot of attention from the girls in his class since he had put in some effort to treat them nicely and listen to them. 

“I agree! it feels nice to finally be recognized by such a powerful wizard. It's unfair how the boys judge him without giving him a chance.”

“Stupid boys! They’re just jealous of all the attention he is getting,” Hermione added. 

“Well, we should all try to show him that we care about him!” Parvati proposed. 

“That’s a great idea,” they all said in unison.

“Let’s write him a note and sign it as his fan club,” Hermione suggested. 

“Yes! He’ll love that!” Parvati said as everyone else nodded in agreement.

The girls gathered together and began to write out a note to give to Lockhart, each member of the club suggesting a line to add until they finally wrote out their letter to show their appreciation. Afterward, each of them signed off the letter and dropped it off in his classroom.

The next day, Lockhart strolled around Hogwarts in a very good mood, sending compliments to all the wizards and witches he had passed as he made his way to class. Students started gathering in the classroom as they were getting ready to begin their next class. Lockhart started his class a little differently than usual and addressed the note that he received.

“I was struggling with the fact that I thought I was not being accepted here by a lot of people, but after receiving this note,” he showed the note to the class written to him by his fan club, “I realized that my message is having an impact on some and I will continue to work hard for my loyal fans.” The members of his fan club blushed and felt proud of themselves for making him feel better. 


	3. Book Two ½: Petrificus Totalus

In the Gryffindor common room, a group of students had gathered together. Everyone had a very concerned look on their face, the room was silent besides the crackling noise coming from the fireplace. Lavender and Parvati had the most concerned expressions of the group, especially Parvati. 

“Does anyone know when it happened?” a voice across the room asked, finally breaking the silence haunting the common hall.

“It had to be during the quidditch game, I saw her leaving alone and she never returned after that,” Parvati answered.

“What if I’m next?”

Everyone turned to her, exchanging glances on the way. Some of them shared the same thoughts. They know that the Chamber of Secrets was the cause of Hermione’s petrification and that she was targeted for being a Muggleborn. This made everyone, not of Pureblood descent more cautious and fearful around Hogwarts. 

“Don’t worry, it won’t come for any of us. The teachers will handle it,” Lavender said, trying to console the group. 

“That’s easy for you to say! There is no reason for it to come for you next. You Purebloods will never understand the things we Halfbloods deal with!” Parvati retorted.

“It is not my fault I’m a Pureblood,” Lavender responded angrily. 

Across the room, Parvati attempted to calm everyone down, “Okay, let’s all relax. We’re all here worried about Hermione’s wellbeing and everything going on. Let’s just calm down and try to be here for each other.” 

They’d heard the rumors that the last time the Chamber was opened somebody had died. An ominous feeling settled over the group as they wondered whether that could happen again. 

The group slowly thinned out and began returning to each other’s room one after another, Leaving Lavender and Parvati to return to their room, missing their roommate. They were used to her sneaking off and sometimes not coming back until late at night. Now they weren’t sure when they were going to see her again now. They thought about their petty arguments, late-night conversations, and Hermione’s stories: all sorts of things she had learned about the Wizarding world and Hogwarts, and other fascinating facts they feigned disinterest over. 

“Don’t worry Parvati, everything is going to be fine! We just need to trust Dumbledore has a plan,” said Lavender.

“I know, but I am just really worried about Hermione. It feels different without her here don’t you think?”

“Yeah. She was always the one that would remind us that things were going to be okay.” 

Lavender missed Hermione’s way of grounding her when things at Hogwarts became overwhelming. She thought about when Hermoine survived the troll and Quirrell’s attacks, and she knew that Hermione would survive this, but Hermione wasn’t there to reassure them herself. She needed her back.


	4. Book Three: Take a Stand or Not

Lavender loved the classes she had this year. Sure, get rid of the fact that dementors are roaming the castle grounds and there’s a killer out there, but hey it could be worse. You-Know-Who could have returned and there could have been a war all over again. Either way, she wasn’t really worried about that. Hogwarts _is and always will be_ the safest place in the Wizarding World. 

Especially when one of their classes was Divination. She has to admit, she was quite fascinated with the subject. Their professor was a bit quirky at most but her premonitions had always been accurate. She still got chills when she remembered her friend’s rabbit and any other vision that became true. It felt grounding to know one might be able to see what might happen in the future. Though she couldn’t say she wasn’t glad that Hemione had left the class after constantly berating Professor Trewlany and her powers. 

Lavender stroked the back of her hair as a way to calm herself and gather her thoughts. She had nothing against Hermione. The little contact she had with her throughout the past three years of knowing her had never demonstrated any ill will compared to the Slytherins. But for her to always act like she knew everything and to completely disregard a subject as Divinations did get under Lavender’s nerves. Call it jealousy if you will, but she knew that this could be of use one day if the time ever came to it. In a way, Divination was like a guide that told you what would happen so that one could be prepared and let nothing surprise them. At least that’s what Lavender thought, and some of the girls in their year also agreed with this. 

As she entered the common room after a well-deserved walk and hanging out with her friends, she warmed herself nicely and listened to the small whispers spreading through the room. Some of them were related to the complaints about the new passwords the knight kept telling students. It was understandable since it had also been giving her an enormous headache just remembering them all. As she was all set with getting started on her homework, she noticed Hermione with loads of parchment and a lot more books than usual. She was a bit worried about her when she heard that Hermione was taking so many classes. Hermione, however, was dead set on keeping them. 

For some odd reason, she still wanted to know how she was doing. With a simple glance, Lavender noticed the dark circles under her eyes and her hair bushier than usual. “Hey Hermione, are you alright?” She greeted her with a smile. Hermione took a quick glance at her and went back to her paper scribbling down notes, “Hello Lavender.” Her response was quick and hurried, almost as if a thought had occurred to her and she needed to write it quickly before she forgot it again. “Um, what are you working on?” Lavender continued, as she internally screamed to herself, _‘Why are you still asking you, bloody moron? She was obviously busy and she wasn’t close to her, so she should’ve just left her alone.'_ The next thing she knew, Hermione cut off her thoughts and started talking about a case that would help Hagrid defend Buckbeak, at least that’s what she understood. Hermione kept on talking, stating facts and dates from cases similar, but she was speaking at such a fast pace that she almost couldn’t quite understand what she was saying. She was honestly amazed that the boys would get what she was saying, but this was the most they had spoken between the two compared to all the past few years. 

She still remembered the incident with the hippogriff and Malfoy. He deserved it. They were all warned about hippogriffs being proud creatures, so it wasn’t really smart of him to insult the creature in the first place. If she had to step away and watch it all from another view, she would have considered it hilarious. But she knew how the world worked and knew that this might be a lost cause. There was no way they’d let that hippogriff live. Unless you could change the past or future, his fate was sealed. 

“So what do you think Lavender, do you wish to help me?” Hermione spoke up as she looked up to her after her lecture ended. Lavender wasn’t sure what to say. Should she just be truthful and tell Hermione that she should stop working because there was no way she could win and that she was only wasting time? Or should she help her through sleepless nights only to be disappointed that they lost the case and that it was all for not because it wasn’t the way their world worked? “Um actually, I’m sort of busy I’m sorry,” she shakingly said. She saw Hermione’s mood instantly drop, probably not surprised that she wouldn’t be gaining any help with this ongoing quest. Trying to save the minor chance of maybe creating a friendship between the two of them she impulsively said, “But try to get some rest will you?” It was a complete longshot of saving it. Lavender probably grabbed mere pieces of their friendship before it blew away with the wind. Pieces that were probably not enough. Hermione nodded her head slowly and looked back at the paper, trying to hold back her tears as another person avoided her or didn’t want to try to at least help her. A part of Lavender wanted to comfort her but she knew she had crossed a line. _What’s done is done._

So she walked up to the dormitories to lie on her warm and comforting bed. ‘It's a lost cause, there is no way they would win,” she thought as she hung up her scarf. 

This is why she liked Divination. There were no surprises in the future. It was comforting to at least have the ability to predict your fate. 

As she curled up in bed, ever so slowly falling asleep, the bitter guilt continued to spread throughout her, etching the memory of what she had done to Hermione into her memories. 


	5. Book Four: Hermione Granger and the Creation of S.P.EW.

Hermione had grown used to the weight of her heavy school bag. It grounded her, brought her peace during difficult times. Times like these.

Tiny scraps of parchment paper marked with her tidy handwriting sat at the bottom of this bag, each piece detailing scattered thoughts she had throughout the day.

_Investigate past Triwizard tournament challenges,_

_Look into Goblin Rebellions of 1612,_

**_Find a way to access the Hogwarts Kitchens._ **

Her pace quickened as she thought about all her impending homework. “Balderdash,” she muttered, before the Fat Lady had a chance to criticize her unruly hair. She was used to it by now. Comments like these stung during her first year, but now she had grown used to them. 

The fat lady huffed and shook her head, reluctantly swinging open and revealing the common room. 

She stepped inside, moving close to the blazing fireplace at the center of the room. As the heat slowly warmed her cold fingers, she looked around the room. 

It was pretty empty for a Friday afternoon. 

Only shadows dwelled in Harry and Ron’s corner, the place where they’d typically sit and predict their fates for Divination. She was glad she dropped the class when she had the chance. 

Her heart plummeted as she remembered the past. Now that Ron and Harry were giving each other the silent treatment, Hermione had no one to turn to. “Stupid boys,” she muttered to herself. 

She walked away from the fireplace and turned to stare at the Gryffindor crest above the door of the common room... _Bravery, Loyalty, Determination._ She could still remember the night of the sorting ceremony. How scared she felt stepping up onto the stage in front of hundreds of people. 

_I was chosen, I belong, this is my home._ She had created this mantra for herself for the past four years, repeating it over and over. She _was_ enough. She was _more than enough._

The shiny crest reflected the flames from the fireplace, its red hue distorting against the polished gold embellishing on the lion’s long mane. 

The house-elf who was forced to clean the crest must have been exhausted afterward. They were the only thing she thought about during the past few weeks. It was impossible to not be upset. She closed her eyes.

A change of scenery. Transported back to the Quidditch World Cup. The forest that surrounds her is suffocating. She’s running, fear coursing through her bloodstream and exiting through her frantic breaths. What if she was next? Her eyes shift. Winky. Crying, curled up on the floor, echoing Hermione’s despair. 

_Anger. Betrayal_. Back to the present. 

She stormed up the stairs leading to the girls’ dormitories. The door inches into itself and lets her in. The book bag is thrown on the floor, completely disregarded. Hermione is left to herself, to listen to her own thoughts. She walked towards her bed.

The bed was perfectly made, not a single crease to be found on the deep maroon blankets. It irritated her. Were they even allowed to leave a sign that they were here? That they existed? It felt incredibly wrong. She needed to do something. She laid down on her bed and stared at the top of her canopy.

_“You are our proudest achievement, Hermione, we love you.”_ She missed her loving parents. Tiny tears began to trickle down the sides of her face and onto the perfect sheets. She knew what she had to do. 

But the past weeks of investigations resulted in absolutely nothing but disappointment. She had only found documents and books supporting the idea that house-elves enjoyed, _needed_ human’s approval. She knew that wasn’t true. She remembered Dobby, or at least remembered Harry’s narration of past events. “I've never felt as proud as I did when Malfoy’s father handed Dobby the sock,” he said, a small grin etched onto his face. It all seemed easy back then, didn’t it? 

As much as she loved S.P.E.W., she knew it would never be as successful as she wanted it to be. Hogwarts was not ready for change, and neither were the people who dwelled within its halls. 

The dormitory door creaked open. Hermione opened her eyes. The slight giggles that echoed through the entrance hall alerted her to the newcomers that had disturbed her solitude. 

“Hello, Hermione!” Lavender and Parvati giggled as they walked across the room, removing their cloaks and flopping onto their beds. 

Hermione nodded and shared a tight-lipped smile with her roommates. She didn’t dislike her roommates, on the contrary, she found comfort in them. But she felt no inclination to talk to them right now. 

After the first feast of the year, Hermione had rushed to tell her roommates about what had occurred at the World cup.“Can you believe how absurd Mr. Crouch was in firing Winky? He just let her go! Just like that! After all, she had done for him! Absolutely disgusting if you ask me.” Hermione had huffed out loud as she was unpacking her cloaks from her trunk. The girls stayed silent, refusing to agree with Hermione. She had noticed, of course. 

“Do you have anything to say? Anything at all?” Lavender and Parvati glanced up from their own open trunks. 

“Hermione, that’s just the way it is! Winky knew she couldn’t disobey Mr. Crouch but still chose to do it, she got what she deserved!” Lavender hissed at her, “I understand you’re not used to it, and that it may make you feel uncomfortable, but this is how our world works. We are kind enough to provide house-elves with a home, the very least they could do is follow our orders! They're just creatures, Hermione, they're not any better than you and I!” 

Ever since that conversation, Hermione had no desire to speak to her, or anybody else in their dormitory for that matter. Were they all okay with enslaving house elves just because that was the way they were instructed to think? Even Ron held the same beliefs Lavender did.

Ron, the same person who constantly reassured her, who told her that she was just as much of a witch as any pureblood at Hogwarts. Ron, who told her that she was the brightest witch of their age. The same Ron who told Hermione that House-elves should continue to be enslaved to Wizarding families. She wanted to yell at him, wanted to help him realize that he was wrong.

  
Hermione was done contemplating. She knew what she had to do. If her peers chose to continue to ignore the treatment of house-elves, she’d have to force them to see what was wrong. _Bravery, Loyalty, Determination._ She grabbed her book bag and walked out of the dormitory, past the common room, and headed to the library. She had a lot of work to do.


	6. Book Four ½: A Helping Hand

Angelina Johnson had just gotten back from a kitchens raid and was headed to her room when she heard a commotion from the girls’ dormitory bathrooms.

“What if we just brushed it out? Then it’ll all be detangled and easier to work with, right?”

“No, wait- that’ll just make it puff out more.”

“Yeah, hey- ow! OW!”

Angelina paused at the rising panic in the third voice and entered the bathroom to find a gaggle of underclassmen surrounding one Hermione Granger.

“Absolutely, do  _ not  _ try to brush her hair out; you’ll only cause breakage and more knots,” she said, gaining the girls’ attention. “I’ll be right back. There’s coconut oil in my trunk.”

That’s how Angelina wound up teaching Hermione about her hair in the nights before the Yule Ball. _For someone with so much hair,_ Angelina thought, _she sure knows very little about it._

“My parents are both dentists,” Hermione sighed. “White dentists.”

She sat in front of the mirror as Angelina helped moisturize her hair, section by section. “I managed to find a few hair care books in the library, but some things are easier to learn with someone to help you.”

Angelina smiled softly. “Lucky that I’m someone.”

She was someone who knew what it was like to be surrounded by girls who didn’t look like her, who couldn’t quite understand where she was coming from. Angelina heard the whispers from the other students about Hermione’s wild and frizzy hair. She had heard the same things whispered about herself before too. 

When Angelina came to Hogwarts, she was the only black girl in her year. The year before Hermione came, she was the only black girl in Gryffindor.  _ It wouldn’t hurt, _ though Angelina,  _ to keep her around. _

“You know,” said Hermione, heading to bed, “if you ever needed an extra set of hands or someone to practice on, I’d be happy to come by.”

When the Yule Ball came, many looked at Hermione in shock. Angelina just smiled.

  
  



End file.
